World Building for Science Fiction or
Fantasy by: Tina Morgan

Creating settings for a science fiction or fantasy world
can be an exhilarating or daunting task. Unlike other
genres, there are few limitations on where the
imagination can go. This is the ultimate opportunity for
a writer to stretch her/his creative muscles.

However, there is one catch you need to be aware of
before you start writing. Many science fiction and
fantasy readers are well educated and well read. Do not
make the mistake of condescending to them or you will
greatly reduce your odds of publication.

Like any other genre, you will find readers from a
variety of occupations but in science fiction you will
find many readers who know the science. Often their love
for technology or space came from reading a science
fiction of fantasy novel as a young child and they
transferred that passion into a career in the technology
or science industry. For this reason I say the most
important aspect of creating your setting will be
research.

Learn
your material before you start writing.

Where do you start researching? Do you need to know
quantum physics to write science fiction? Of course not.
But you do need to have a rough understanding of what
life is like under different situations. Start first by
determining where your story will take place.

Earth or earth-based? On a space ship? On a radically
different planet that calls for sealed environments?

What is the physical world like? What raw materials are
available for fuel or building? What type of ecology
inhabits your world?

Part of determining location is also dictated by time. 'When' your
world exists will determine the level of technology
available to your characters. Are you using a
prehistoric, medieval, present day or futuristic time
frame? The possibilities are endless. Don't allow what
you've read in the past to dictate your decision on when
in time to place your story.

All aspects of world building can benefit from research.
Don't think that because you've invented planet Jo-Jo
that the basic rules no longer apply.

If your world strays too far from earth then you need to
consider the viable options for supporting life. Many of
the science fiction stories I read as a young adult
featured the moons of Jupiter as viable future
habitations for human colonies. Although it was
enjoyable fantasy when I was much younger, now it would
fall quite flat. Jupiter is a gas giant and in order for
the gases that comprise its physical form to exist the
planet has to be hundreds of degrees below zero (Celsius
or Fahrenheit). Jupiter's temperature is this low due to
its distance from the sun. So by extrapolation, that
means that its moons must be far too cold to support any
life form currently living on earth that we have
discovered to date.

Because we are looking at developing worlds for science
fiction or fantasy, however, it would still be feasible
to create a man-made habitation of an out-lying planet or
moon in our own Solar system. Let's look at some of the
things you may need to include:

-- Make sure that your fictional habitation is complete
with biospheric domes or that you include ample life-support
systems.

-- Remember to consider how your colonists will replenish
food and water supplies. It's a long way back to Earth,
so consider alternate ways to transport the necessities
that can't be produced locally.

-- Think about where the air your characters breathe
comes from and how it might be filtered.

-- Waste disposal could also pose a problem on
inhospitable planets, and communications with the
'mother' planet will definitely require some creative
thinking.

-- How and what will your colonists trade? Many
civilizations fund their growth via trade. Importing air
and water would be terribly expensive, so how will your
fictional colonists fund these necessities?

Another consideration with placement of your 'world' is
neighboring star-systems. Let's assume that you want to
send your colonists to a binary system. It's glamorous,
and there is plenty of creative scope for a world with
two suns! You've created an Earth-type planet, with
plenty of fresh water and sufficient oxygen, and thrown
your characters onto the stage. Can you see any problems
yet?

Many avid star-gazers would be quaking in horror right
now. Even though your world might be entirely fictional,
our own Solar system has a neighboring system that is a
binary system.

Alpha Centauri isn't just one big, hot star, like our own
Sun. It's a binary system. Alpha Centauri and Beta
Centauri spin merrily around in a double orbit. This is
where I risk lots of rabid emails telling me that I've
worded that wrongly. Or worse, that I've forgotten all
about little, red Proxima Centauri, orbiting both giants
in a separate orbit all of its own!

Think about the ramifications of putting a planet in
between two or three stars. What would the temperature be
like? And would your humans remain human-looking for more
than a couple of generations? Would they be able to
survive at all?

Inhabitants are another vital
component of your world building. Will they be human or
non-human? Animals: real, earth-based, mythological or
something totally new? Take care with creating a new
ecology and don't put in too many predators. Many new
writers make the mistake of creating a world full of
teeth, fangs, claws and other lethal natural weapons but
they forget to give their predators enough prey animals.
If predators don't/can't find prey, they will eat each
other - possibly to extinction.

Creatures big and small need to be able to function in
the world you've created. This doesn't mean that goo-dripping
aliens are out, but it does mean that I'm not going to
believe that they pilot spaceships with controls suited
to human hands.

Once you determine your inhabitants and your characters'
species, you need to consider their society. Where your
characters fit into that society will greatly affect
their ability to function and react.

What type of government and laws rule your world? Arts
& recreation, education, religion, vocation, economy-
money based or barter are all vital elements of a society
and will add richly to your setting if you incorporate
these aspects. There's no need to spend a lot of time
explaining every element of your world, but showing how
your characters live can help bring the story to life. A
group of soldiers could play a game of chance involving
rune stones or carved dice, the butler opening the door
can pay the cabbie with gold coins, the priestess can
marry a couple at the county fair by waving a branch of
oak leaves over their heads. Simple things that can be
mentioned in passing will give a fictional world a third
dimension in a reader's mind.

Where do you find the inspiration to create these
societies? Research. Look at the forms of society
developed in our own world. Find a battle that intrigues
you and use the tactics that won or lost it in your own
war.

The Internet offers a wide source of research material
but don't forget to spend time at your local library
either. You'll find a wealth of information just waiting
for you to make your own.

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For a more detailed look at world building check out Tina
Morgan's World Building chapter in The Complete
Guide to Writing Fantasy. Available at Amazon.com and through Dragon Moon Press